LML, the geared-scooter legend, relaunches as an EV brand with the LML Star

LML makes electric two-wheelers under the revived Star name, aiming at India's fast-growing e-scooter market and export markets like Italy.

That the LML name — Vespa PX-derived, famous from Italy to the US as the Stella — converts into an electric scooter buyers will pick over Ola, TVS and Bajaj's Chetak.

Self-funded by Bhatia — 'I am part of a traditional business family and we are not into burning cash'; no outside investors.

Bhatia spearheaded the 2021 acquisition of the legacy brand and marked its 50th anniversary in September 2022 by showcasing three products: the Star scooter, the Orion e-bicycle and the Moonshot e-hyperbike. Everyone assumed a launch the next year.

Market feedback said LML means scooters, so the plan narrowed to one product: the LML Star motoscooter, 'the chilled out attitude of a scooter with the thrill of a motorcycle'. Operations moved into the former Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India office in Gurugram; manufacturing sits in the former Harley-Davidson plant in Haryana, with land bought to build out a vendor system for global markets.

The Star carries four decades of brand equity in Europe, giving exports a running start no new EV brand has.

Bootstrapped discipline forces a capital-efficient launch rather than a cash-burning land grab.

Pain points collected from rivals' customers — battery, warranty, range — were addressed before launch.

A legacy name is only worth relaunching if it shortens one specific distance — for LML, trust in export markets that already know the badge.

Launch was set for October 2024; the material predates it, so sales were untested. Former rival Bajaj's electric Chetak already had a head start, with Ola Electric and TVS leading the market.